"a striking similarity between "Girl of the North Country" and the Paul Simon penned "Scarborough Fair/Canticle "..well one line<g> any thoughts?"
the line you refer to is
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine
s&g released 'scarborough fair' in 1966.
dylan's 'girl of the north country' was released a few years earlier on 1963's freewheelin'.
so, did s&g rip bob off? on first glance the answer would seem to be yes.
but there appears to be some old folk song on which scarborough fair was based....
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Scarborough Fair
Where are you going? To Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Remember me to a bonny lass there
For once she was a true lover of mine.
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Without any needles or thread work'd in it,
And she shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell her to wash it in yonder well,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Where water ne'er sprung nor drop of rain fell,
And she shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell her to plough me an acre of land,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Between the sea and the salt sea strand,
And she shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell her to plough it with one ram's horn,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
And sow it all over with one peppercorn,
And she shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
And tie it all up with a tom tit's feather,
And she shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell her to gather it all in a sack,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
And carry it home on a butterfly's back,
And then she shall be a true lover of mine.
-Anonymous
(date unknown)
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i haven't delved into it further to try to determine author and dates. but it appears to me that bob borrowed liberally from this old tune, then s&g chimed in.
that how it looks to you?
:)
mark |
